I promised this week that I’d share two special quilts
that have taken up quite a large place in my heart recently.
First let me tell you that I love making quilts for
others. I love making and giving them
away. I feel that somehow I’ve given
that person a tangible, forever hug from me that’s an expression of my thoughts
and prayers and hopes and dreams for them.
In the last few weeks I’ve been privileged to help with
one quilt for a kindergarten teacher that is undergoing her second round of
cancer. A room mother from that class
dropped by the quilt shop one Tuesday when I was there and she had a picture printed
off of Pinterest of a quilt made of children's hand prints. She explained the situation – that this was to
be quilt made from hand prints of all the students so that the teacher would
know just how special she is.
I am a sucker for teachers. After years of teaching and
acting as a principal, I have developed a deep and abiding love and respect for
educators. Kindergarten teachers are
especially important because they are the first education gateway a child has
and it’s up to them to make sure that experience is a positive one. This
teacher needed this quilt.
Fortunately there was a group of my quilty friends at
the shop and we all conspired together.
Theressa, Angie, and I put the quilt top together. Gail supplied the machine embroidery. Shelle quilted it. Angie, Susan, and I put on the binding. Most
of us contributed fabric.
This is the result:
Shelle did a beautiful job quilting it. It’s just as pretty on the back as it is on
the front.
The label has a verse from a song that’s very important
to the kids in Room 208.
I just hope that this quilt wraps that lady in love and
she knows just how very, very special she is.
The second quilt I made is for my cousin who is
undergoing his own battle with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. There are seven cousins on my dad’s side of
the family and we’re all pretty close despite time and distance. I was floored when my brother called me with
the news that our cousin had cancer.
I regularly make and donate “chemo quilts” to our guild,
who in turn, distributes them to Hayworth Cancer Center, our local cancer
treatment hospital. I knew I wanted to
make such a quilt for my cousin. He’s
former military, so red, white, and blue seemed appropriate. I finished it and got it in the mail on
Thursday. He called me today. It arrived yesterday and he said it took him
a day to call me. He loves it, and that
was music to my ears. He said he will
use it when he goes for his next treatment on Friday.
He claimed I Thessalonians 5:16-18 as his verses through
this journey. I wanted to put them on
the label for a couple of reasons.
First, for them to comfort and remind him of God’s presence in this
situation. And second, as a reminder
after this “storm” has passed, that God’s always in charge of the
situation no matter what it is.
I love to quilt, there’s no doubt about that. And as much as these quilts bless the recipient,
I am doubly blessed to have the opportunity and means to make them. If you don’t belong to a guild or quilt group
that has a charity quilt program, let me encourage you to look on the internet
for groups that need quilts. Project
Linus and Quilts of Valor are two of the groups that constantly need
quilts. Your local law enforcement,
social workers, or fire fighters may also have a need for them.
Don’t hesitate to be a blessing. Trust me, you truly get back more than you
give.
Love and Stitches,
Sherri
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